Waterfox

Short description: Open-source web browser based on Firefox

Waterfox

Screenshot of Waterfox G6.0.5 running on Windows 10, showing the English Wikipedia.

Original author(s)| Alexandros Kontos
Developer(s)| Waterfox Limited
Initial release| 27 March 2011; 13 years ago (2011-03-27)
Stable release| G3.2.6 (15 September 2021; 2 years ago (2021-09-15)[1]) [±]
Preview release|

G6.0 Beta 5 / September 14, 2023; 9 months ago (2023-09-14)

Written in| C, C++, CSS, JavaScript, XUL
Engine| Gecko, SpiderMonkey
Operating system| Windows 7 or later, Mac, Android, Linux
Platform| x64, ARM64, PPC64LE
Type| Web browser, mobile web browser, feed reader
License| MPL-2.0

Waterfox is a free and open-source web browser and fork of Firefox. It claims to be ethical and user-centric, emphasizing performance and privacy.[2] There are official Waterfox releases for Windows, macOS, and Linux.[3] It was initially created to provide official 64-bit support, back when Firefox was only available for 32-bit systems.[4]

## Contents

* 1 Divisions
* 1.1 Waterfox
* 1.2 Waterfox Classic
* 1.2.1 Vulnerability
* 2 History
* 2.1 Logos
* 3 See also
* 4 References
* 5 External links

## Divisions

### Waterfox

Waterfox shares core features and technologies like the Gecko browser engine[5] and support for Firefox Add-ons[6] with Firefox. It is also compatible with Google Chrome and Opera extensions.[2] It disables telemetry and Pocket by default, which are present in Firefox builds. However, it collects technical information about the user's device to update properly.[4]

### Waterfox Classic

Waterfox Classic is a version of the browser based on an older version of the Gecko engine that supports legacy XUL and XPCOM add-on capabilities that Firefox removed in version 57.[7][8] It is still partially maintained with fixes and patches from Waterfox and Firefox ESR releases. However, its development has been separated due to several changes from Waterfox that are otherwise unapplicable.[9]

#### Vulnerability

Waterfox Classic has multiple unpatched security advisories. The developer states that "changes between versions so numerous between ESRs making merging difficult if not impossible".[10][9]

## History

Waterfox was first released by Alex Kontos[11][4] on March 27, 2011 for 64-bit Windows. The Mac build was introduced on May 14, 2015 with the release of version 38.0,[12] the Linux build was introduced on December 20, 2016 with the release of version 50.0,[13] and an Android build was first introduced on October 10, 2017 in version 55.2.2.[14]

From July 22, 2015 to November 12, 2015, Waterfox had its own search-engine called "Storm" that would raise funds for charity and Waterfox. Storm was developed with over £2 million of investor funding and powered by Yahoo! Search.[15][16][17]

In December 2019, System1, an advertising company which portrays itself as privacy-focused,[18] acquired Waterfox.[19][20] In July 2023, Alex Kontos announced that Waterfox had been turned into an independent project again.[21]

### Logos

* Waterfox logo used until 2015

* Waterfox logo used from 2015 to March 2019

* Waterfox logo used from March to June 2019

* Waterfox logo used from May 2019 to August 2023

* Waterfox logo used from August to September 2023

* Waterfox logo used from September 2023 to present

## See also

* Firefox
* LibreWolf
* GNU IceCat
* Pale Moon
* Basilisk
* K-Meleon

## References

1. ↑ "Waterfox G3.2.6 - Third Generation Release". https://www.waterfox.net/blog/waterfox-G3.2.6/.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "What Is Waterfox and Is It Safe?" (in en). 2022-09-13. https://www.makeuseof.com/is-waterfox-safe/.
3. ↑ "Waterfox, Free Web Browser" (in en). https://www.waterfox.net/download/.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Proven, Liam. "Waterfox: A Firefox fork that could teach Mozilla a lesson" (in en). https://www.theregister.com/2021/11/04/waterfox_firefox_fork/.
5. ↑ "FAQ" (in en). https://www.waterfox.net/docs/faq.
6. ↑ "Find and install add-ons to add features to Waterfox". https://www.waterfox.net/support/WINNT/find-and-install-add-ons/.
7. ↑ Kev Needham (2015-08-21). "The Future of Developing Firefox Add-ons". https://blog.mozilla.org/addons/2015/08/21/the-future-of-developing-firefox-add-ons/.
8. ↑ Villalobos, Jorge (2017-02-16). "The Road to Firefox 57 – Compatibility Milestones". https://blog.mozilla.org/addons/2017/02/16/the-road-to-firefox-57-compatibility-milestones/.
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Waterfox Classic development will continue, but as a separate project from G4". November 4, 2021. https://www.ghacks.net/2021/11/04/waterfox-classic-development-will-continue-but-as-a-separate-project-from-g4/.
10. ↑ "Unpatched Security Advisories · WaterfoxCo/Waterfox-Classic Wiki" (in en). https://github.com/WaterfoxCo/Waterfox-Classic/wiki/Unpatched-Security-Advisories.
11. ↑ "About Waterfox" (in en). https://www.waterfox.net/docs/.
12. ↑ Kontos, Alex. "Waterfox 38.0 Release". https://www.waterfoxproject.org/blog/waterfox-38.0-release-download.
13. ↑ Kontos, Alex. "Waterfox 50.1.0 Release (Windows, Mac & Linux)". https://www.waterfoxproject.org/blog/waterfox-50.0-release-download.
14. ↑ Kontos, Alex. "Waterfox 55 Release (Windows, Mac, Linux and Android)". https://www.waterfoxproject.org/blog/waterfox-55.0-release-download.
15. ↑ Kontos, Alex (12 May 2015). "4 Year Anniversary: Waterfox Charity and Storm Search". https://www.waterfoxproject.org/blog/waterfox-charity-storm-search.
16. ↑ "New search engine from Waterfox founder aims to take a punch at Google". https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/businessclub/technology/11598207/New-search-engine-from-Waterfox-founder-aims-to-take-a-punch-at-Google.html.
17. ↑ Lake, Howard (2015-08-07). "'Ethical search engine' Storm to generate funds for charities" (in en). https://fundraising.co.uk/2015/08/07/ethical-search-engine-storm-to-generate-funds-for-charities/.
18. ↑ Brinkmann, Martin (14 February 2020). "Waterfox web browser sold to System1". https://www.ghacks.net/2020/02/14/waterfox-web-browser-sold-to-system1/.
19. ↑ "Waterfox has joined System1". 14 February 2020. https://www.waterfox.net/blog/waterfox-has-joined-system1/.
20. ↑ "Welcome Waterfox!". https://www.system1.com/press/system1-welcomes-waterfox.
21. ↑ Kontos, Alex (2023-07-03). "A New Chapter for Waterfox" (in en). https://www.waterfox.net/blog/2023/07/03/a-new-chapter-for-waterfox.

## External links

* v
* t
* e

Mozilla

Projects

| Mozilla
Labs|

* Bugzilla
* ChatZilla
* Electrolysis Project
* Jetpack
* Lightning
* Persona
* Prism
* Raindrop
* Skywriter
* Sunbird
* PDF.js
* Sync
* Tinderbox
* Ubiquity

|

Mozilla
Research|

* asm.js
* Daala
* Firefox OS
* OpenFlint
* Open Media
* Rust
* Servo
* Shumway
* WebAssembly
* WebVR

Mozilla
Foundation|

* Mozilla Location Service
* SeaMonkey
* Thunderbird

| Firefox|

* Firefox Browser

* 1
* 1.5
* 2
* 3
* 3.5
* 3.6
* 4
* 5–current
* Future releases
* for Android
* Preview
* for iOS
* Focus

* Firefox Lockwise
* Firefox Monitor
* Firefox Send
* IRL - Online Life is Real Life

|

Origins|

* Mozilla Application Suite
* Netscape Navigator
* Netscape Communicator
* Netscape Communications
* Beonex Communicator

Forks|

* Basilisk
* BurningDog
* Classilla
* Flock
* Gnuzilla
* Goanna
* Iceape
* IceCat
* Icedove
* Iceowl
* Miro
* Netscape 9
* Pale Moon
* Portable Edition
* Swiftfox
* Swiftweasel
* TenFourFox
* UXP
* Waterfox
* xB Browser

Frameworks|

* Add-on
* Gecko
* Necko
* NPAPI
* XPConnect
* XBL
* XPCOM
* XPInstall
* XUL
* XULRunner

Components|

* Composer
* NSPR
* NSS
* Rhino
* SpiderMonkey
* Tamarin

Typefaces|

* Fira Sans
* Zilla Slab

Discontinued|

* Calendar Project
* Camino
* Firefox Home
* Grendel
* Minimo

Discontinued projects are in italics. Some projects abandoned by Mozilla that are still maintained by third parties are in bold.

Organization

| Foundation|

* Former Mozilla Organization
* Mozilla Foundation

|

Subsidiaries|

* Mozilla Corporation
* Mozilla Messaging
* Mozilla Online

Official affiliates|

* Mozilla China
* Mozilla Europe
* Mozilla Japan
* Mozilla Taiwan

People|

* Mitchell Baker
* David W. Barron
* Sheeri Cabral
* Tantek Çelik
* Brendan Eich
* John Hammink
* Robert O'Callahan
* Johnny Stenbäck
* Doug Turner
* Boris Zbarsky

Community

* mozdev.org
* Mozilla Add-ons
* MDN Web Docs
* MozillaZine
* Spread Firefox

Other topics

* The Book of Mozilla
* Code Rush
* Mozilla Public License
* Localizations
* Mascot
* Rebranding / forking

* v
* t
* e

News aggregators

Client
software|

| Standalone|

* Akregator
* BlogBridge
* FeedDemon
* Feedreader
* Flipboard
* Genieo
* Google Currents
* Google News
* Liferea
* NetNewsWire
* NewsAccess
* Newsbeuter
* NewsFire
* QuiteRSS
* RSS Bandit
* RSSOwl
* Seesmic
* Vable
* WebFetch

|

Web browsers|

* AOL Explorer
* Avant Browser
* Basilisk
* Camino
* iCab
* Flock
* Internet Explorer
* K-Meleon
* Kazehakase
* Maxthon
* Firefox
* GNOME Web
* Netscape Browser
* Netscape Navigator 9
* OmniWeb
* Opera
* Pale Moon
* Safari
* SeaMonkey
* Shiira
* Sleipnir
* Tencent Traveler
* Vivaldi
* Waterfox

Email clients|

* Apple Mail
* Claws Mail
* Gnus
* IBM Notes
* Microsoft Outlook
* Mozilla Thunderbird
* Netscape Messenger 9
* Opera Mail
* Pegasus Mail
* The Bat!
* Windows Live Mail
* Zimbra

Web browser plugins|

* Cooliris
* Sage

Web apps or
mobile apps|

* Bloglines
* CommaFeed
* Cheetah News
* Daylife
* Digg Reader
* Drupal
* Feedbin
* Feedly
* FriendFeed
* Google News
* Google Reader
* iGoogle
* dotCMS
* Imooty.eu
* Magnolia
* My Yahoo!
* News360
* NewsBlur
* Newsknowledge
* Netvibes
* Pageflakes
* Planet
* Pulse
* Rojo.com
* Prismatic
* Spokeo
* The Old Reader
* Tiny Tiny RSS
* TweetDeck
* WebGUI
* Windows Live Personalized Experience
* winnowTag

Media
aggregators|

| Podcatcher|

* Adobe Media Player
* Akregator
* Amarok
* Flock
* iTunes
* Juice
* MediaMonkey
* Miro
* Rhythmbox
* Songbird
* Winamp
* Zune

|

RSS+BitTorrent|

* BitLord
* BitTorrent 6
* Deluge
* Miro
* Opera Mail
* qBittorrent
* TorrentFlux
* Tribler
* μTorrent
* Vuze

Related
articles|

* Comparison of feed aggregators
* History of Media aggregation
* RSS enclosure

Italics indicate discontinued software.

* v
* t
* e

Timeline of web browsers

General

* Comparison
* lightweight
* History
* List
* for Unix
* Usage share

1990s

| 1990|

* WorldWideWeb (Nexus)

|

1991|

* Line Mode Browser
* libwww

1992|

* Erwise
* MacWWW (Samba)
* MidasWWW
* tkWWW
* ViolaWWW

1993|

* AMosaic
* Arena
* Cello
* Emacs/W3
* Lynx 2
* NCSA Mosaic
* VMS Mosaic

1994|

* AirMosaic
* Internet in a Box
* ANT Fresco
* Argo
* IBM WebExplorer
* SlipKnot
* Minuet
* Navipress
* Mosaic/Mosaic Netscape/Netscape Navigator
* Spyglass Mosaic
* TCP/Connect II

1995|

* Agora
* ALynx
* AMSD Ariadna
* Cyberjack
* eWorld Web Browser
* Grail
* Internet Explorer 1
* Internet Explorer 2
* Netscape Navigator 2
* NetShark
* OmniWeb
* HotJava
* UdiWWW
* WebShark
* w3m

1996|

* Cyberdog
* Arachne
* AWeb
* IBrowse
* Amaya
* Internet Explorer 3
* Netscape Navigator 3
* Opera 2
* Oracle PowerBrowser
* tcpCONNECT4
* Voyager

1997|

* Netscape Communicator
* Internet Explorer 4
* Opera 2.1

1998|

* NeoPlanet
* Mozilla Application Suite
* Opera 3–3.21

1999|

* iCab
* Internet Explorer 5
* Omniweb 3
* Opera 3.5–3.62

2000s

| 2000|

* Beonex Communicator
* Galeon
* K-Meleon
* MediaBrowser
* Netscape 6
* Opera 4–4.02

|

2001|

* iCab 2.5
* Internet Explorer 6
* Omniweb 4
* Opera 5–5.12

2002|

* Avant Browser 7
* Camino
* Epiphany
* Netscape 7
* Opera 6–6.1

2003|

* GreenBrowser
* Maxthon
* Opera 7–7.3
* Safari
* SlimBrowser

2004|

* Avant Browser 9
* Phoenix/Firebird/Firefox
* Opera 7.5–7.55

2005|

* AOL Explorer
* Deepnet Explorer
* Firefox 1.5
* Opera 8–8.54
* Safari 2

2006|

* Avant Browser 11
* Firefox 2
* Internet Explorer 7
* Opera 9–9.27

2007|

* Maxthon 2
* Opera 9.5–9.64
* Safari 3
* SeaMonkey 1.1

2008|

* Chrome
* Firefox 3
* Netscape Browser
* Netscape Navigator 9
* NetSurf 1.2

2009|

* Avant Browser 11.7
* Chrome 2–3
* Firefox 3.5
* Internet Explorer 8
* Opera 10–10.63
* Pale Moon
* Safari 4
* SeaMonkey 2.0

2010s

| 2010|

* Chrome 4–8
* Firefox 3.6
* Lunascape 6.0.1
* Maxthon 3
* NetSurf 2.5
* Opera 11–11.64
* Safari 5

|

2011|

* Chrome 9–16
* Firefox 4–9
* Internet Explorer 9
* Lunascape 6.5
* Opera 12–12.17
* SeaMonkey 2.1–2.4
* Waterfox

2012|

* Chrome 17–23
* Firefox 10–17
* Internet Explorer 10
* Lunascape 6.7
* Maxthon 3.4
* NetSurf 2.9
* Safari 6

2013|

* Chrome 24–31
* Firefox 18–26
* Internet Explorer 11
* Opera 15–18
* Safari 7
* SeaMonkey 2.15–2.22

2014|

* Chrome 32–39
* Firefox 27–34
* Lunascape 6.9
* NetSurf 3.1
* Opera 19–26
* Safari 8
* SeaMonkey 2.23–2.31

2015|

* Chrome 40–47
* Firefox 35–43
* Lunascape 6.10–6.12
* Microsoft Edge 20, 25
* Opera 27–34
* Safari 9
* SeaMonkey 2.32–2.39
* Vivaldi

2016|

* Chrome 48–55
* Firefox 44–50
* Lunascape 6.13–6.15
* Microsoft Edge 38
* Opera 35–42
* Safari 10

2017|

* Chrome 56–63
* Firefox 51–57
* Microsoft Edge 40, 41
* Opera 43–49
* Safari 11
* SeaMonkey 2.46–2.49
* Basilisk
* Brave
* Vivaldi 1.7–1.15

2018|

* Chrome 64–71
* Firefox 58–64
* Microsoft Edge 42-44
* Opera 50-57
* Safari 12

2019|

* Chrome 72–79
* Firefox 65–71
* Opera 58–65
* Safari 13
* Vivaldi 2.3–2.10
* Whale 1.4–1.5

2020s

| 2020|

* Chrome 80–
* Firefox 72–
* Microsoft Edge 79—
* Opera 66–

|

Related topics

* 3D Markup Language for Web
* Aliweb
* ARPANET
* ASCII
* BITNET
* Browser wars
* CompuServe
* Elm
* Email
* File Transfer Protocol
* Gopher
* HTML
* HyperCard
* HyTelnet
* NCSA Telnet
* NLS
* Prodigy
* Teletext
* Telnet
* Usenet
* UUCP
* Videotex
* Viewdata
* Virtual Reality Markup Language
* Web page
* Whole Internet User's Guide and Catalog
* World Wide Web
* X.25

* v
* t
* e

Web browsers

Features * standards * protocols

| Features|

* Bookmarks
* Extensions
* Privacy mode
* Sync

|

Web standards|

* HTML
* v5
* CSS
* DOM
* JavaScript
* IndexedDB
* Web storage
* WebAssembly
* WebGL

Protocols|

* HTTP
* v2
* v3
* Cookies
* Encryption
* OCSP
* WebRTC
* WebSocket

Active

| Blink-based|

* Avast Secure Browser
* Beaker
* Blisk
* Brave
* Chrome
* Chromium
* Coc Coc
* Dragon
* Epic
* Falkon
* Kinza
* Maxthon
* Opera
* Otter
* Puffin
* SalamWeb
* Samsung Internet
* Silk
* Sleipnir
* Sputnik
* SRWare
* Torch
* UC
* Vivaldi
* Whale
* Yandex

|

Gecko-based|

* Firefox
* GNU IceCat
* IceDragon
* K-Meleon
* PirateBrowser
* SeaMonkey
* TenFourFox
* Tor
* Waterfox

WebKit-based|

* Dolphin
* Dooble
* GNOME Web
* iCab
* Konqueror
* Midori
* Safari
* surf

Other|

* 360
* Avant
* Basilisk
* CM Browser
* Edge
* eww
* Internet Explorer
* Links
* Lunascape
* Lynx
* NetFront
* NetSurf
* Pale Moon
* QQ browser
* qutebrowser
* SlimBrowser
* w3m

Discontinued

| Gecko-based|

* Beonex Communicator
* Camino
* Classilla
* Conkeror
* Galeon
* Ghostzilla
* Kazehakase
* Kylo
* Lotus
* MicroB
* Minimo
* Mozilla suite
* Pogo
* Strata
* Swiftfox
* Swiftweasel
* Timberwolf
* xB

|

Trident-based|

* AOL
* Deepnet
* GreenBrowser
* MediaBrowser
* MenuBox
* NeoPlanet
* NetCaptor
* SpaceTime
* UltraBrowser
* WebbIE
* ZAC

WebKit-based|

* Arora
* BOLT
* Opera Coast
* Flock
* Fluid
* Google TV
* Iris
* Mercury
* OmniWeb
* Origyn
* QtWeb
* rekonq
* Rockmelt
* Shiira
* Steel
* Browser for Symbian
* Uzbl
* WebPositive
* xombrero

Other|

* abaco
* Amaya
* Arachne
* Arena
* Blazer
* Charon
* Deepfish
* Dillo
* ELinks
* Gazelle
* HotJava
* IBM Home Page Reader
* IBM WebExplorer
* IBrowse
* KidZui
* Line Mode
* Mosaic
* MSN TV
* NetPositive
* Netscape
* Skweezer
* Skyfire
* Teashark
* ThunderHawk
* Vision
* WinWAP
* WorldWideWeb

* Category
* Comparisons
* List

0.00

(0 votes)

Original source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterfox. Read more

|

Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Software:Waterfox&oldid=3463235"
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template